Terrence Howard says Robert Downey Jr. got him fired from 'Iron Man'

Terrence Howard attends the UK Charity Premiere of 'Iron Man' held at the Odeon Leicester Square on April 24, 2008 in London, England. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Terrence Howard said Robert Downey Jr. was the reason why Don Cheadle replaced him in the "Iron Man" franchise after the first film.

"It turns out that the person that I helped become 'Iron Man,' when it was time to re-up for the second one, took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out," Howard said on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live."

"We did a three-picture deal. That means you did the deal ahead of time -- a certain amount for the first one, a certain amount for the second, a certain amount for the third. They came to me with the second and said, 'Look, we will pay you one-eighth of what we contractually had for you, because we think the second one will be successful with or without you.' And I called my friend (Downey), that I helped get the first job, and he didn't call me back for three months," Howard said.

Maybe he was driving in a tunnel.

Indiewire.com says Howard has long taken credit for Downey getting the "Iron Man" role that helped turn around his career. In 2010, after "Iron Man 2" opened, Howard told E! News, "For me to have recommended him, it means all the more so that I helped someone get to where they are supposed to go. Marvel and I are now talking about doing some other things. And Don Cheadle wanted to play that ("Iron Man") part before I wanted to play it, so everything is very well."

It was not clear which Marvel project Howard was referring to; so he apparently did not land the role.

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